John
I can safely say that it's been a rather… hectic week.
Like Homelander had said, they didn't really hold any meetings unless they had too, so I actually got to sleep for about an extra hour most of the the rest of my time is pretty much spoken for. Outside of the tutoring and the training with Maeve, which actually is more sparring than training, what's really taking up my schedule are these fucking promos.
I mean seriously, how much of these do they need?
Some of it's just like some cool title pose or something, like a video of me in front of a title card for my superhero name looking at the camera, or just some pictures of me doing different simple or action-style poses.
But the rest of it… it's almost like they're trailers for a movie or something. They got me lifting cars, buses, trucks, semi-trucks… and they get like five hundred takes or something, but what really gets me is the fact that this whole promo is gonna be only thirty to forty seconds from what the Bourke guy told me.
But I think Bourke is more of a fucking nuisance than Ashley is, and in the week I've been here, that's really saying something.
The dude is always up my ass, to the point that if her were any closer, I'd be trying to pull his head out. The fucker can't just leave me alone for five seconds, even when I go to get a drink of water or something to eat on break between takes, and he's always recommending this hideous fucking outfit.
Okay, so we all know I'm the Juggernaut, right? And I've established that the name is fucking literally from the character of Cain Marko, in Marvel Comics, right?
Well this son of a bitch is trying to turn me into CAIN MARKO!
The suit he keeps suggesting I use is literally just the Juggernaut outfit from Marvel, complete with that fucking bowl helmet. And even though I know it's made of more sturdy, probably military type materials, the piece of crap literally looks like a third rate cosplay piece!
How?
Suffice to say, I kept telling him no until it reached the point where I told him that if he asked again, I'd put it on him and see if it could keep him alive while flying over the state.
He shut up after that.
But thank fucking god it's all finished.
As I said above, my training with Maeve is more of a sparring match. Turns out that while she is definitely a martial artist, there's not much she can teach me that Peter and Rachel haven't already taught me.
Which is understandable, since she only really knows martial arts to help in combat. Meanwhile, I've been through advanced military training. I'm not usually one to brag, especially since I don't really have to use the skills when I can destroy whoever's in my way with little effort, but thanks to Peter and, particularly, Rachel, I'm already a brown belt in Karate, I have a decent handle on Systema, and I'm a green belt in Jujitsu.
Never really felt the need to actually try to use them outside of training admittedly, but it's come in use during the spars with Maeve. Especially since I have no clue what in particular she's trained in, or if she's honestly just so adept at fighting in general that she can adapt to different styles easily.
I mean, seriously, in terms of fighting prowess, Maeve has put me on my ass just as much as I have her.
Kind of makes wonder, honestly, how much Peter and Rachel actually know…
But I digress.
At this point, it's just a fun little hobby for us, and Maeve even made a remark that she doesn't have to pull her punches with me.
I wish I could say the same. Her powerset is similar to mine, with the exception of the accelerated healing, but even then I'm learning that I'm a whole lot stronger than she is.
And her attacks don't really hurt, per say, but to be fair, it is a spar, not a knock-out drag-out brawl.
Outside of that, I've been hanging out with Annie. She's actually kind of fun to hang out with, and I'll say her abilities are a lot more useful than I'd have thought.
Sure, she can't actually hurt the eyes of someone like, say, me, Maeve, or Homelander, but that doesn't change the fact that those damn lasers of hers are bright as fuck. She showed me how they worked, and I was seeing stars alright.
She's surprisingly easy to talk to, but one topic I've learned she really doesn't want to discuss is the Deep. For those of you who don't know who he is, he's essentially the real life Aquaman, who manages to be… well, more of a cheap ripoff from what I've heard.
But any time his name is brought up, she either diverts the conversation or outright tells me she doesn't want to talk about him, and I'm curious for sure, but there's not point in pushing her. It's not really my business in the first place.
Something else I've noticed is that I made a damn good choice when I told Edgar that my choice is my choice alone, and no one elses.
Since Annie doesn't have that particular clause in her contract, fucking Stillwell made her wear a different outfit, that shows a lot more skin than her old one did. Poor Annie looked so uncomfortable with it, and you better believe that I'm glad Edgar was negotiating my contract instead of just Stillwell.
Ashley seems to have taken the hint. Outside of short reminders or coming to get me whenever Edgar or someone needs me, she's well away from me.
Good riddance, bitch.
That's… not the only thing I've noticed.
In the week I've been here, Homelander really seems like a decent guy. He's been nothing but courteous, helpful, welcoming… but still, Maeve keeps warning me, and whenever I see her or A-Train around Homelander, both of them are on edge, like he's gonna and stab them or something.
I honestly don't get it. I'm curious about what Maeve's trying to warn me about, but anytime I ask, it eventually boils down to Homelander some kind of psycho. Which, granted, Homelander has to know about it. I mean, the dude's got superhearing. I know he can hear everything she says, unless he's not paying attention.
So is Maeve's occurence that Homelander just shrugs off? Does she have a grudge against him for something in the past?
Or is there something I'm missing? Something I'm not paying attention too, or being privy too…
I don't know, but I'll probably figure it out. If Maeve's lying, it'll come out, but until the truth is revealed, I have absolutely no interest getting involved in some type of drama. Shit's too fucking stressful right now as it is.
On a positive note, I did talk Edgar, however, after that first meeting with the Seven. I talked to him about Maddie, told him that she'd like to be here, and that I'd like her to be here.
The man actually paid for the ticket, and told me that if she couldn't find transportation here, he'd arrange for it, but I told that last bit wasn't neccissary.
Peter and Rachel can give her a ride.
Speaking of, I filled them in after talking to Edgar, and suffice to say, their reactions were mixed. They were happy I'd found a decent way to help people, but they were obviously pissed when I told them how Edgar even found out about me, and I can still practically see Rachel giving Alex an earful and a half while Peter tries to keep her calm enough to not wipe the place out.
That being said, they were happy to hear that I am at least in a decent place, getting paid for this as well as having an entire team instead of just two people watch my back, though Rachel joked that if I forgot them, she'd kick my ass.
If it weren't for the fact that I'm stronger, tougher, faster, and outweigh her by about six hundred pounds… she definitely could kick my ass with ease. Of the three of us, she's the most trained, and she's most skilled.
Though you'd never know it until you really get to know her.
Mamaw and Papaw call me once a day, and obviously, Mamaw wasn't too pleased that she wasn't there when the offer and the decision was made, but she still agreed with Papaw's words, saying that it was my choice, and at least the money would be a good help.
With that game of catch-up out of the way, that brings us to now.
This expo thing is really not my thing, and I swear they better not be setting me up as some kind of Christian, because Christians are going to be sorely disappointed when they hear my potty mouth.
Already, people are flocking in droves, everyone and their families' families showing up to this thing, though the only actual superhumans here is me, Homelander, Starlight, and that Ezekial guy Maddie told me about.
Starlight's probably out greeting some people, being friendly, and luckily they let her wear her normal outfit for this one. I have no clue where Homelander is, and Ezekial gave me really weird vibes, so I'm more than glad to not be around him.
None of them are my target anyway. I'm waiting for someone in particular.
And finally, I spot her, her long blonde hair coming down to her shoulders, her blue eyes bright with wonder as she looks at all of the booths and stands set up for this little expo thing. And just like me, her outfit is still the exact same, a green tank top and a pink skirt stopping just above her knees, along with a pair of white sneakers. On her shoulder is a pink purse, which is actually a rarity considering this is one of the few girls I know that keeps everything she can carry in her car or, if she's wearing clothing with pockets, on her person.
I can't help the smile on when I spot her.
"Maddie!" I call out, waving at her to gain her attention.
Her face snaps towards me, and the wonder vanishes from her expression in place of an absolutely exstatic grin as she takes off in my direction.
"John!" She says as she practically jumps into me, wrapping her arms around my chest as my own come up and wrap around her, catching her as I take a step back to avoid her hurting herself.
Just because my skin still feels like normal skin doesn't mean that someone slamming into me don't feel like a brick wall.
I let out a chuckle as I hug her back, her feet coming back to the ground once more. "I'm glad you could make it." I joke with a smile.
"And miss your big debut in person?" Maddie joked back as she pulled away, raising her eyebrow in a playful manner as she looked up at me. "Not a chance."
I laugh at her words. That's always been Maddie. She's always there for me, and I love her for it.
Like her.
Shut up.
"How've you been this week?" Maddie asks, despite the fact that I've kept her updated every night, giving her a call right before I go to sleep.
"Eh, not bad today, but those promos were a pain." I say with a chuckle as I glance out towards the crowd of people milling about at stands and booths, buying different things or playing Christian themes carnival games. "At least Bourke isn't up my ass anymore. I was beginning to think I might have to lay him out."
Maddie giggles at my words before looking up at me with a knowing grin. "No. No punching directors."
I go along with the joke, giving her a faux-pleading look as I respond. "Just this one. Please?"
"Nope."
"Aww…"
Maddie lets out a laugh at my words. "So what's it like, being on a team of superheroes?" She asks as she begins walking, glancing around towards all the different booths set up before looking back at me.
I shrug my shoulders. "Honestly, it's not that bad, at least for me. But I'm beginning to notice some sort of drama going on." I say with a sigh as I recall Maeve and A-Train's attitude around Homelander.
Maddie visibly cringes at my words. "Oh, that doesn't sound nice."
"It's nothing too bad, persay. But Maeve keeps giving me these warnings about Homelander, and every time I see her or A-Train around them, they're always on edge. But so far, Homelander's been a decent guy."
"Hmm…" Maddie looks just as confused as I've been, bringing a finger to her chin in thought. "Could it be that they're on thin ice with him or something?"
"I don't know." I admit with a shrug. "A-Train's a shit talker, but Maeve doesn't really strike me as a liar or a shit-starter, so I'm a little confused as to what she's on about. Either way, they could just be nervous because it's very likely Homelander hears every word they say."
"Ah." Maddie says with understanding. "Superhearing, and they're nervous around him about it."
"Exactly." I nod my head before glancing over at Maddie. "But like I said, Maeve doesn't really strike me as a shitstarter, so I'm wondering if there's something I'm missing."
"Well, they were together, a few years ago." Maddie reveals, and I can't help the surprise on my face.
Homelander and Queen Maeve? The way she talks about him now, you'd think he's the scum of the Earth.
"Bad breakup, then." I guess with a shrug. "I don't know, but I'm not here to talk about that. How's school been?"
At this, Maddie rolls her eyes and lets out a huff of frustration. "Absolutely awful." She mutters with a sigh. "Ms. Callahan gave me a detention I was supposed to serve today because I wasn't able to finish a homework assignment."
"Why couldn't you finish it?" I ask. Usually, Maddie's on that shit, and to my knowledge, she's a straight A student. The only reason I can think of as to why she doesn't finish a homework assignment is-
"Floyd."
Yep, there it is, and I can't help my own sigh of frustration at her words.
"Fucking asshole. Let me guess, ripped you a new ass?" I say as I glance at her with a riased eyebrow.
"Among the entire 'you're a slut' and 'you're a whore' tirade." Maddie answered with a scoff. "I'm just glad I don't have to be scared of him anymore."
"He hurts you again, I will kill him." I tell Maddie, and I mean it. As far as I'm concerned, Floyd's on thin ice, and I'll put that fucker in the ground and gladly accept the consequences.
No one hurts Maddie. No one.
"So, how's that training with Maeve?" Maddie asks, hoping to divert the conversation from her piece of shit step-father.
I can't help the chuckle that escapes me at the question. "Like I said a few nights ago, it's more sparring than training." I joke as I glance at her. "I'll say this though, she's a good fighter, puts me on my ass just as much as I do her."
"Except your actually using your training instead of just brawling." Maddie teases with a smirk, causing my hand to go to my chest in faux-hurt.
"You wound me!" I joke in an exaggerated manner, before chuckling. "But seriously, I am kind of astounded by the fact that Rachel and Peter are more skilled than she is."
"You said Peter's one of the few people who can genuinely put you on your ass without holding back." Maddie recalled, remembering a conversation we'd had way before I came to Vought.
"Probably cause he's not just strong enough to throw me around, because let's be honest, seven hundred isn't that much to a superhuman, but because he's the only person I know who can take an actual hit from me and get right back up." I explain with a smile. That metal Peter creates sure is handy, I'll say that.
Kinda miss my sledgehammer.
"But Rachel's got more skill than both of you." Maddie smirks, causing me to chuckle.
"Girl power, at it's finest." I joke with a grin as I glance at Maddie. "Speaking of, Rachel talk to you about some training of your own?"
Maddie nodded. "She has, but I'm not too keen on flying out to Nevada just for some training."
I can't help but to raise an eyebrow. "Who said you'd be going to Area 51? You're not a superhuman, and Rachel has enough control, you could train right there in the state. Go out to Doug's field across from home."
Across from my home, where Mamaw and Papaw are now, is part of a large field owned by a one Doug Geere. Doug and Papaw are good friends, and Doug doesn't mind if Papaw stores a few vehicles on it, or if we ride fourwheelers or play some games or something over there.
"I don't think Doug would be too happy if his field gets burnt." Maddie joked, causing me to chuckle.
"You don't give Rach enough credit." I say with a grin as I glance over at her.
Maddie smiled at my words as she glanced over at me. "I guess not."
Maybe I should've been paying more attention to what's in front of me, because as we walk, I find myself bumping into someone on accident, and I let out a short grunt as I turn towards the person to apologize.
"Shit, sorry about that." I apologize as glance towards the man I bumped into. He's a rather tall guy with large curly hair, with a camera in his hand as well as what looks like a press badge hanging from his neck.
"It's fine." The man waved it off with a slight smile. "A lot of people, big crowd, it's rather easy to bump into someone." He remarks.
I nod my head in agreement. "Too easy, sometimes." I joke before I give the stranger a farewell nod. "Have a good day, sir."
"You too." The man says with a smile before continuing on his way as I turn to Maddie.
"Sorry about that." I apologize as I rub the back of my neck.
Maddie gives me a playful smirk. "It's a wonder you didn't mow him down." She jokes at my expense.
I can't help the playful eye roll at her words. "I have more control than that, thank you." I retort, causing Maddie to giggle.
"I know." She nods her head. "I'm just teasing."
"So how are things going with Alice?" I ask her while the thought is on my mind. "She still in the hospital?"
Maddie's older sister, Allyssa, was in a car crash a few days ago, and from what I hear, she was still in the hospital.
So it honestly surprises me when Maddie shakes her head.
"She just got out yesterday. Her arm is in a cast though, so she's not the happiest camper." Maddie explains.
I can't help the chuckle that escapes me. "I imagine not." I can't imagine what that'd be like, having to deal with a broken limb, and I'm happy with that.
"At least she's got Lacey to take care of her." Maddie remarked with a smile. "I'd gladly help, but between school and my parents, I don't really get to see her that often."
"I imagine she was happy to see you when you visited her at the hospital." I comment with a smile. It always makes their days when one of the Thompson sisters get to see each other.
Maddie nods her head in agreement with a fond smile. "Lit up like a Christmas tree."
"Good." I nod my head, glad to hear it.
"Hey, John!"
A familiar voice calls out, and me and Maddie both turn to the source to find Annie running up to us, a smile on her face.
One I can't help but return.
"Annie!" I say with a smile and a wave. "I see you managed to get away from the fans for a bit."
Annie rolled her eyes in response, a playful smile on her face. "I have no problem signing autographs, but I could use a break every once in a while, and there are too many perverts." Her eyes drift over towards Maddie, and her eyes widen in surprise. "Who's this?"
I gesture towards Maddie with a smile. "This is my best friend, Maddie, I've told you about." I glance towards Maddie, who seems to be rather starstruck, no pun intended, staring at Annie in surprise. "Maddie, this is Annie, otherwise known as-"
"Starlight…" Maddie mutters, completely unused to the site of an actual superhero. I can't help but to laugh, before glancing towards Starlight.
"She's the real superhero nerd." I joke, and it has the intended effect when Maddie snaps towards me with an embarrassed blush, giving a quick smack to my upper arm.
"John!" She shouts in indignation, causing me and Annie both to let out laughs.
"It's alright." Annie says with a smile. "Most of my life has been on television anyway."
"I'm sorry if it sounds a little weird…" Maddie responded, rubbing the back of her neck, her face still red from embarrassment. "You were always my favorite superhero."
This is admittedly news to me, but then again, our interest in superheroes were often very different, me preferring fiction and Maddie preferring reality.
Annie looks surprised by Maddie's words. "Me?" She asks in surprise, as if unused to being someone's favorite superhero. "Why not Queen Maeve?"
Maddie shrugged, her red blush finally fading as she gives Annie a genuine smile. "I've always been one for the underdog." She admits, before her eyes glance towards me.
I raise an eyebrow. "I wouldn't say I'm an underdog, Maddie."
"Then don't." Maddie said simply, smiling. "I will for you."
I can't help but to chuckle at that. "You got me there."
"So, how long have you two known each other?" Annie asked, a curious expression on her face.
"Since we were kids." I answer with a smile.
"Did you tell her about the goose-egg incident?" Maddie asked, a grin on her face, and at her words, I can't help the complete belly-laugh that escapes me.
"Goose-egg?" Starlight looks absolutely confused at the words, which has Maddie giggling too.
"When we were about three, or maybe four, we were playing together while our moms were occupying themselves." I begin explaining as my laughter dies down to chuckles.
"And we come up with this brilliant idea to play a game of chicken." Maddie continues with a grin. "You know, that game where you run at each other, see who gives first."
"I imagine that didn't work out too well." Annie jokes, a grin on her face as she realizes where this is going.
"Oh no." I shake my head with a laugh. "Neither of us gave! Instead, we smack right into each other, and we crack skulls and just flop back."
At that, even Annie's giggling at the picture that pops up in her head.
"Let me guess… goose-eggs on your heads?" She guessed.
"Oh yeah." Maddie nods her head with a smile. "Our moms are panicking, wondering how they're gonna explain this to his grandpa, while we just look at each other and start laughing."
"That sounds like a cute story." Annie remarks with a smile. "You two have known each other for a while then, huh?"
"Yep." I say, more than happy about that. "She's my best friend, and I wouldn't give that up for the world."
Maddie looks at me with a smile, and leans into my side for a hug, which I gladly reciprocate when I wrap my arm around her.
"I wouldn't give you up either." She says as she turns to Annie. "So, John told me you were his first friend?"
Annie looked at me with a raised eyebrow at Maddie's words. "Really? I'd have though Edgar was your rest friend, with all the shit you apparently get away with."
I can't help but to chuckle. "Not my problem you didn't read the contract before signing." I joke as I glance towards Maddie. "Have you seen her new outfit?"
Maddie visibly cringes in disgust, which is a damn good indicator that yes, she's seen the outfit.
"I think I like this one better." Maddie admitted as she looked at Annie.
Annie nodded her head in agreement, a smile on her face. "So do I."
"That new outfit they got her in isn't her choice." I explain when I see Maddie's look of confusion. "That Stillwell bitch I told you about had her in it because it's apparently a show of sexuality, or something of that nature."
"A punishment for saving that girl out of costume." Annie added, causing my own eyes to go wide. That's news to me.
"The one you saved from those rapists?" I ask in disbelief. "Are you serious?"
Annie nodded her head. "She said if I don't wear it, I'm out of the Seven."
"That is terrible." Maddie said with a shake of her head.
"What a bitch." I remark with a shake of my head.
"While it's on my mind, we have an hour before we're on stage." Annie informs me, causing me to let out a sigh.
"Onstage?" Maddie asks in confusion. "You're debut?" She says when she glances at me.
I nod my head. "I go onstage for my debut with Annie introducing me, and then she has a Capes for Christ promotion thing she has to do." I explain. "Afterwards, though, me and you can hang out for the day."
Maddie smiles at my words. "I'll look forward to it."
"I'm saying, that if there is a geezer up there with a big white beard, he's a world heavyweight cunt."
The fact that we all just heard that is the first thing to cross our minds. The second is to look over at the source.
Over at a booth is an older man, a priest from the looks of it, talking to a pair of taller men, one of which is a black guy with sunglasses wearing a leather jacket, and the other of which is a bearded man with black hair.
The priest looks absolutely baffled by what he just heard, as if he's trying to process that someone actually said that.
Admittedly, I'm trying to process that someone actually said that to a priest.
"I-I'm sorry, did you just call God a C-Word?" He asks the bearded man in complete bafflement.
"Yeah." The British accent of the bearded man comes right out as he freely admits that he said it without a care in the world. "He's got a hard on for mass murder and giving kids cancer, and his big ol' answer to the existential clusterfuck that is humanity is to nail his own bleedin' son to the plank. Come on, that is cunt move, even you got to agree with me there."
The moment the words leave his mouth, I'm not ashamed to admit that I nearly collapse from laughter, and I can hear Maddie snickering next to me as well, because you gotta admit…
Dude's on point.
"Hey, hey, please…" The other guy puts his hand on the bearded man's shoulder, trying to get him to stop.
"We should just lob a fucking nuke at him, get it over and done with." The bearded man continues despite the his friend's pleading, and now even Starlight is trying to hold back fits of laughter.
Finally, the bearded man is dragged away by his friend, leaving a stunned priest and some bystanders, and us three laughing to our hearts content.
"Oh, that was perfect…" I say as I try to come down from my laughter, only for the thought of what just occurred to spark another surge of amusement.
"He's a world heavyweight cunt!" Maddie says between giggles, attempting to imitate the bearded man.
"I'm Christian and I can't even argue with that." Annie giggled, shaking her head in amusement.
"Oh my god…" I say with a sigh, a massive grin on my face as I finally cease my own laughter. "That just made my day."
"I wonder if we'll end up seeing him again." Maddie wondered with a shake of her head as she turned to look at me. "And I thought you had a sailor-mouth."
"So did I." I respond with a chuckle. "Anyway, why don't you go ahead to the theater. I'll come find you afterwards, and we can hang out some more."
Maddie smiled and gave me a nod, slipping an arm under mine and wrapping it around my side before pulling me into a quick hug.
"I'll see you onstage, then." She says, before letting go and moving off to make her way towards the theater.
"You really care for her, don't you?" Annie remarks, her gaze bouncing between me and the retreating form of Maddie, and I nod my head without hesitation.
"Yep." I admit, before turning to look at Annie. "So, shall we go get ready?"
That hour passed by way too quickly, but here we are.
I sit off to the side, out of view as Starlight walks onstage, a smile on her face as she waves at the cheering crowd. She's got one of those stage mics on her ear as she begins speaking.
"Hi everyone!" She greets cheerily, a smile on her face as that greeting seems to make the crowd even louder. "Welcome to the Believe Expo!"
I can't help but to grin as I watch it, even though I can see the prompt she's reading off of, she genuinely sounds like she's enjoying it now.
"Now, before I continue with this song, and the little speech I have planned, there's something I would like to do." Starlight continues. Damn, they really don't waste any time so they.
"That's you're cue!" Ashley says from next to me, turning her gaze towards me. "Get ready!"
I roll my eyes, but I do as she says as Starlight continues.
"As many of you know, the Deep and Translucent are no longer with the Seven. Deep is on sabbatical and Translucent has unfortunately been killed. As such, we need some new members, and today, I'd like to introduce our newest member!"
The crowd erupts into cheers at the prospect of a surprise hero appearance, and I'm beginning to wonder if I'm gonna have to cover my ears. Damn, they're loud.
"Now, many of you have likely already heard of him!" Annie speaks up, silencing the crowd for a moment as she continues her little introduction. "But until today, he's never been seen in the public, and we've kept it under wraps because we wanted it to be a surprise, so allow me to introduce… The Juggernaut!"
And there's my cue.
I walk out into stage with a smile on my face, as a spotlight shines down on me, raising a hand to wave at the roaring crowd. I can see every single on of them with excited grins on their faces, and I spot Maddie sitting up towards the front, a broad smile on her face.
I ignore tha camera flashes and simply wave.
"Hi everybody!" I greet the crowd, and I'm honestly surprised at how loud they're cheering. Until today, none of them even knew what I looked like, and now they're cheering louder than they did for Starlight. "How's everyone doing tonight?!"
Honestly, it's taking some effort for me to not stumble over my words, because of the fact that my words echo a split second after I say them, but it's easy enough to speak.
"I just wanted to thank all of you for coming out tonight!" I say as I come to a stop next to Annie. "And I wanted to thank Starlight and the rest of the Seven for welcoming me onto the team."
The crowd goes silent as I begin my own speech, and I notice from the corner of my eye that the teleprompter is trying to guide, spotting a line of text under the name 'Juggernaut', but I ignore it.
"Now, up until today, many of you never knew what I looked like, some of you probably thought I was a myth." I speak with a chuckle, causing the crowd to erupt in amusement as well. "But I assure you, I'm very real. Before I was offered a place in the Seven, I stuck to the shadows, you could say, helped from behind the scenes." I kind of give an overview of my time before coming to Vought last week. "Admittedly, I'm gonna miss having a bit of privacy, but hey, it's not gonna hurt anything."
The crowd erupts into fits of laughter once more, and I can't help but to grin at it. Honestly… this feels better than I thought it would. I'm not usually one for public speaking, but this is… something else.
"Now, I'm not really for one for speeches, I mean, I suck at them." I remark with a grin. "So, all I can do is allow thank Vought and the Seven for allowing me this chance to join the team, and I'll go ahead and let you all ask a couple questions before letting Starlight take over once more."
I can see Ashley out of the corner of my eye waving frantically at me, trying to get me to follow the teleprompter, but I don't think any of them realize that it's a lost cause. Ezekiel's standing next to her, and he looks confused at what's going on. Even with a hint of confusion on her face, Starlight continues to smile.
I just want to get my part done so I can go hang out with Maddie.
"So, questions anybody?" It's short, sweet, and to the point. Almost immediately, hands of the entire crowd shoots up, with the exception of Maddie and a few other people, and I look through the crowd before pointing to a little kid, a boy, probably about nine or ten. "You there, little buddy."
"What are your superpowers?!" The boy asks excitedly, practically yelling over the crowd. I can't help but to chuckle at the question. It's one I should've expected, admittedly.
"I got super-strength, and I heal any injury within seconds." I explain to the boy, and the crowd, with a grin. "As a bonus, my strength also makes me extremely tough and very fast. Next question!"
The boy and half the crowd looks awed at my answer, as if half the other superhumans on the planet don't have that ability, but almost immediately, hands shot right back up, and I search through for another person.
"The girl in the pink Maeve shirt!" I point to a girl, around my age, in the back with pink shirt with a picture of Queen Maeve on it. Not a color I'd expect associated with Maeve, but whatever.
The girl stands to her feet as all eyes turns to her, but she seems rather put off by the attention, and she's rather quiet, almost nervous when she speaks, and I can't hear a word she says.
"I'm sorry, can you say that one more time?"
The girl speaks once again, and while I can now at least pick up the words 'scary' and 'superhero', she's still too quiet for me to hear her properly.
"Here, hang on." I hop off the stage and move around the front row, ignoring the eyes on me as I move my way up the steps at a brisk pace until I'm standing next to the girl and what's probably her parents. "Say again?"
"Is it scary being a superhero?" She asks loud enough for me to hear her.
"Is it scary being a superhero?"" I repeat her question for everyone to hear, and when she nods, I nod my own head in response. "Yeah, at times." I continue speaking as I walk back to the stage. "Sure, a lot of crimes are just normal people, and most superheroes might just walk into it and be like 'These guys can't hurt me', but there are always gonna be times where you face someone and you never know what's gonna happen. I fear not often for my own life, but the lives of those around me, who might end up hurt or worse because of my actions or the actions of my opponent." I give the girl a smile as I jump up onto the stage with ease. "That's a good question to ask. I don't think a lot of people realize how scary this job can be. What's your name?"
"Krystal." The girl replies, this time loud enough for me to hear from the stage, with a timid smile on her face. "Krystal Satterfield."
"Krystal Satterfield…" I nod my head as I repeat the name, before smiling. "I'll remember that. Next question!"
The girl practically beams at my words, giving a broad smile to her parents as she takes her seat, and I search through the flurry of hands before finding a familiar face.
"You, the guy with the camera and curly hair." I say as I point to the guy. "I bumped into you out in the crowd earlier, didn't I?"
The man nodded his head with a grin. "About plowed me down, now I know why."
I can't help the chuckle that escapes me at that. "My bad. So, what's your question, bud?"
"How old are you?" He asks, genuinely confused. "You look like a teenager."
I can't help the chuckles that escape me at his question. "I was waiting for someone to ask that, not gonna lie." I joke with a grin as I turn to look at him. "I'm sixteen."
Gasps, murmurs, and looks of shock and surprise erupt through everyone in crowd as some of them look at me with newfound awe. Honestly, I expected something like that. From what Maddie has told me this past weak, teen superheroes usually end up on teenage oriented teams, such as Teenage Kix, I think that's one she said, but apparently a teenager being on a big team like the Seven is so unheard of that the last time it had ever happened, it was in the 80's, with some guy named Gunpowder on Payback.
"How'd you get a spot on the Seven, if you don't mind me asking?" The curly haired guy asked once more, and I fixed him a look, raising an eyebrow and giving a small grin.
"I don't mind you asking, and I'll answer, but please, only one question per person." There are way too many people here, and while I want to get as many questions as I can until they either die down or run out, I only have so much patience before I decide to end this and go hang out with Maddie.
It's been a fucking week, dammit. I knew this was coming, but still…
"Sorry." The curly haired man apologizes with a sheepish grin, and I let out a chuckle.
"It's fine. Anyway, to answer your question, Stan Edgar was looking for replacements since the Seven is down two members." I answer the question. "From what he tells me, a friend with the government helped him scope me out, and he figured I'd be a good candidate. Anyway, next question?"
Without fail, once again, almost every hand in the audience shoots up, clamoring for me to pick them, and I look through the crowd once more. I'm not really trying to pick particular people, and the curly haired guy was just a coincidence. I'm mostly just trying to pick at random, unless someone in particular catches my eye.
I spot a young woman, brunette, early twenties maybe, looking at me with a hopeful smile, and I almost immediately pick her at random. "The brunette in the middle!" I call out, pointing to her.
"I was wondering how you got your powers!" The brunette asks, an excited grin on her face at being picked. "A lot of superheroes get their powers from accidents or they're born with them! How'd you get yours?"
In hindsight, I should've been prepared for this question.
I absolutely am not.
I can't help the way my body goes rigid at the question, the grin falling off my face as unwanted thoughts run through my head.
A sawzall.
Surgical tools.
Sadistic Laughter.
A cold voice.
PAIN
The crowd goes visibly quiet at my obvious change in demeanor, but I'm not paying any attention to them anymore, and my eyes immediately shoot towards the closest source of comfort.
Maddie's looking up at me with a worried expression, deep concern in her blue eyes as she looks at me.
It calms me down somewhat.
And then I feel a hand on my shoulder and nearly jump out of my skin.
"John?" Annie's voice catches my attention, and I turn my head to her. Her entire expression is once of worry, and her voice is laced with more concern than I would've expected from someone I've only known a week. "Are you alright?"
"Uh…" I turn my gaze back to crowd for a moment, lingering on Maddie for a few seconds, before I turn to look back at Annie. "Yeah… I'm fine." I turn my attention back to the brunette, who looks like she regrets asking the question, and I can't help the seriousness when I speak. "I got mine… I wanna say maybe six, seven months ago? And… I'll say this." I let my gaze wander the crowd as I speak, letting my words sink in. "Some people are lucky. They're born with they're powers, like Homelander, and Queen Maeve. And then others, like me, get them later in life, whether they develope them, or they go through something. Now, there's nothing wrong with wanting superpowers, and I'll admit, I do enjoy mine. But sometimes… well, sometimes, you gotta wonder: are they worth the cost." I fix my eyes on the brunette once more. "The story of my powers is not a pretty one, I'll admit, and it's not one I'll ever share with the public. But admittedly, the question brought up memories I'd rather forget, and I wasn't prepared for it when I should've been."
The woman's face turns apologetic, almost as if she asked something insensitive. "Sorry."
"It's alright." I wave it off. "You didn't know, no one did. But to answer your question, my developed later."
The woman nods her head, and sits back down.
The atmosphere is sullen, serious, almost crushing, and I have to admit that this is the furthest thing I wanted to cause. So, with some effort, I shrug off this inconvenience, and allow myself to smile once more.
"Now, many of you might have some more questions for me, but I don't wanna hog Starlight's show too long." I say, causing the atmosphere to noticeably brighten a bit, a few chuckles escaping the crowd. "So, I'll answer one more question, and then I'll give the show back to Starlight."
Almost immediately, I scan through the crowd, and this time, I carefully choose who's gonna be the lucky person to get the last question in. I was gonna let this go a little longer, but like I said, Starlight has her stuff to do, and after that last question, I'm really just want to spend some time with Maddie.
I keep searching, until one person catches my eye.
It's a little boy in a Homelander, situated between his parents, his dad's hand on his shoulders, his hand as high up as it can go, his other hand practically supporting it.
Well… the prosthetic hand, anyway.
"The kid in the Homelander shirt up front." I say, pointing to the kid with a smile on my face. "What you got, buddy?"
"Do you have a secret identity?" The boy asked, confusion on his face. "You aren't in a superhero outfit, and you don't have a mask, so does that mean that your name is Juggernaut?"
I can't help but to chuckle at the question. "Nah, kid, Juggernaut isn't my name. I'm not one on secrecy, and while I do like having some privacy, I work best in clothes I'm comfortable with. No point in wearing a fancy suit when my own clothes work just fine." I answer the question with a smile. "Alright, I thank you all for the questions, and I apologize to those who I wasn't able to answer. I'm gonna give the stage back to Starlight, and I'll let her take over."
With those words, I glance towards Annie with a smile, and give her a nod. She returns it with one of her own, and with that, I remove the mic from my ear and walk off-stage as the giant LED screen switches back to a Starlight promo.
As I walk off stage, I'll be damned if Ashley isn't on my ass almost immediately, and she doesn't fail to make a fuss.
"What the hell was that?!" She snaps, tailing me at a brisk pace, a glare fixed on me. I don't even spare her a glance. "You want completely off-script! You were supposed to follow the teleprompter, give a speech! You were supposed to be up there for two hours! You had a speech to support christianity, and the questions weren't supposed to happen at all!"
"How is that my problem?" If it weren't for the fact that I literally talked to Edgar about shit like this the day I came here, I would probably be more concerned, but since Edgar has my number and I told him straight up that I wouldn't be turned into a show pony… yeah, I'm more annoyed than concerned with Ashley.
Ashley balks at my words. "Don't you get it? We pay you, make you a celebrity, and in return, you follow the scripts! It's how this works!"
"Take it up with Edgar." I say coldly, not a care in the world for Ashley's apparent dilemma. "I told him, and I'll tell you: I'm not a show pony. It's in my contract. I'm in complete control of my public persona, of my every action in interviews and shows like this." I say as I turn to look at her. "You don't control me, you redheaded bitch, and you never will."
Ashley looks stunned at my words, and I take that as my cue to leave.
She doesn't follow.